Hammock Time

It’s Sunday evening and I’m composing this blog whilst lying in the hammock. Life could be far worse. And if people don’t continue to practice social distancing and/or stay home, things will likely get much, much worse.

Yesterday’s workout was fun, as any workout that includes running is, by definition, fun. Don’t argue with me.

5 RFTRun approximately 400m50 unbroken air squats15 L-sit pull-ups

Yup, based on a crossfit.com workout. My goal was 25 minutes, and I completed in less time than that. So boom. I followed it up with this…

10 RFTBike approximately 400m30-second headstand hold

I set up the gym mat on the driveway, and was watched by the child of the corn who lives next door almost the entire time. It’s quite annoying to be stared at for that length of time, but whatever.

Whilst more challenging, I enjoy lateral box jumps. I find I stay much more focused when completing.

Jeff and I went for a 9.5-mile bike ride, and that was much fun. Uhm, I’m not very good about letting him lead. Uhm, I’m not very good about letting anyone lead.

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My BBF (Best Brian Friend) visited Saturday, and I had a wonderful catching up. We spent most of our time on the deck and, yes, we practiced social distancing. We also ate ribs and drank beer. Read the below excerpt from my memoir to learn how I met Brian.

I’ve raced the Umstead Trail Marathon three times, placing 2nd, 2nd, and 1st. But eventually winning the race isn’t the most memorable moment: meeting one of my best friends is.

It was very hot and humid day, and it was my first trail and first Umstead marathon. While I did start near the front, I didn’t go out nearly as fast as many other runners and quickly settled into my own pace. About 2 or 3 miles into the race, there was but one other runner that I could see, and we took turns passing each other. As we were running up one of the many hills he said to me as I approached, “You wanna run and work together?” This is the first and only time that this has happened. “Sure,” I replied, and that’s what we did. I introduced myself as did he. “I’m Brian,” he said. We didn’t talk much but we did run side-by-side and it certainly was nice to run with someone. We reached the halfway mark, i.e., 13 miles, and Brian started to slow down. I said, “Stay with me, let’s run together.” “I’m good,” he replied, “you go on without me.” And that’s what I did. I eventually caught up with and passed many other runners and made sure to be at the finish line when Brian eventually finished. I introduced him to Jeff and he introduced me to (his now wife) Danielle. Brian, like George, Tracy, Carol, and Caroline, was instantly one of my best friends. Uhm, he was born the year I graduated high school. I often tell him that he’s the younger brother I never had—or wanted.